Ogoni Cleanup To Begin End Of The Month

The cleanup of Ogoniland in Rivers State will begin by the end of the month, the Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jibrin, has said.

The Ogoni cleanup has for a long time been in the works, with President Muhammadu Buhari approving a board and governing council for the clean up in 2016.

Punch reports that $180 million has been mobilized for the cleanup through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and multi-national oil companies.

Jibrin, who spoke to reporters after the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday, said:

I can confidently tell you that before the end of this month, in the next weeks, there will be 21 companies that will be mobilised to the site to start the work.

Right from the NNPC, Shell Petroleum Development Company and the (J) ventures; they have mobilised $180m. It is in the Escrow Account with the Standard Chartered Bank of London and the Board of Trustee is managing that.

So, as far as we are concerned, we can beat our chest and say that the (President Muhammadu) Buhari administration has shown the way forward on this clean-up and we hope and pray that the people whom we are working for will have cause to laugh and smile very soon.